Sacred Heart Guardians and Shelter’s mission is to facilitate Christian burial for the embryonic human beings who die in IVF labs, and who would otherwise be disposed of as medical waste.

SHG facilitates four burials a year for human embryos that die in IVF labs. We outreach to IVF clinics across the country, asking that they send arrested (deceased) embryos to us for burial, rather than throw them out as waste. If they are unwilling to consider this as a new standard lab process, we urge them to present the choice to their clients, prior to the start of an IVF cycle.

Our mission witnesses to the reality that human embryos are human beings, and therefore fully human persons, each of whose life “is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end.” (CCC 2258)

Our mission looks to St. Joseph of Arimathea’s act of charity (see page 3) and to Jesus Himself, as He instructs us on how to inherit His Kingdom by our love for Him expressed by our love for each other:

“And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’” Matthew 25:40

Sacred Heart Guardians and Shelter facilitated prayerful burial for 41 deceased embryonic human beings on February 2, 2022 and for 129 deceased embryonic human beings on May 4, 2022. Father Andrew Jaspers celebrated the Rite of Committal with Final Commendation at both burials.

Since 2018, SHG has facilitated burial for 813 embryonic children whose lives started and ended in IVF facilities. The next burial is scheduled for Tuesday, August 2, 2022.